Still working on that?

"Fully Committed" the play

Last week I made a restaurant reservation, and was bemused when the young woman told me that “We’re fully committed” that night. It was the second or third time I’d heard it in a few weeks. It seemed so late ’90s when the play of that name chronicled the hot-hot-hot years of New York and San Francisco dining. But everything that goes around, comes around, so Fully Committed is having a comeback.

Which brings up the issue of the phrases that stick in the restaurant industry, year after year, trend after trend. “Still working on that?” “Are you finished yet.” And the classic “Fries with that?”

What’s your evergreen restaurant phrase?